The World That Opens Its Eyes
The sunrise over La Paz was unlike any before.The sky had a cleaner hue, as if the atmosphere had been purified from within.The base's sensors displayed a continuous anomaly:
BASE ENERGY DENSITY: IN CONTINUOUS INCREASE – LEVEL 5.3DAILY VARIATION: +3.7%
Alan couldn't take his eyes off the screen."This isn't just a post-reaction to Rob's ascension," he murmured."It's as if… the Earth is waking up on its own."
Strange Changes in the World
The images arriving from other bases confirmed the phenomenon:• Deep in the heart of the Amazon, trees glowed during the night, projecting light without any logical source.• In the Pacific Islands, bioluminescent fish were surfacing, forming circular figures reminiscent of ancient glyphs.• In Africa, the Sahara Desert had birthed a giant flower, resistant to heat and said to possess healing properties, according to local Guardians.
"This isn't biological evolution," said María firmly."This is a guided natural response."Rob, who had been silently observing from the main balcony of the base, closed his eyes.And then… he felt it.
The First Pulse
It was a whisper in the soul.A wordless murmur.A vibration deep in the core of his energy that didn't come from the system.The world…was speaking to him.
For a moment, he felt like a child before an immense mother.Not as its master—but as its chosen son.
"What… are you?" he whispered, placing his hand on the rocky ground.
Then a voice, as soft as the highland wind, formed in his mind:"You are not ready to hear me yet…But you are ready to feel me."
System Confirmation
At that same moment, the Survival System projected a new notification, never before registered:
[PLANETARY CONSCIOUSNESS SIGNALS DETECTEDCONNECTION LEVEL: LOW – ONLY SS RANK USERS CAN PERCEIVE]
Alan and María looked at each other, stunned."Rob… did the Earth speak to you?"He didn't answer immediately.But in his eyes…there was something new.A mix of awe, fear… and destiny.
While the mountains breathed around them and birds flew in impossible formations,Rob thought only one thing:"I didn't know this…Because in my previous life…I was already dead before discovering it."
The Meeting in La Paz
The main command room was quieter than usual.All the primary Guardians were present, seated around a circular table illuminated by 3D data projections.Rob remained standing.His voice was firm, yet filled with restrained emotion.
"The Earth is responding to us.Not as a system…But as a living being.And it's beginning to trust us."
Everyone exchanged looks of astonishment.Alan activated the global energy map.
"These zones… they're anomalous even by our new standards.They have a unique resonance, as if they were natural nodes of vital energy."
"It's no coincidence," María interjected."These are the roots of the world."
Project: Core Sanctuaries
Rob projected six strategic points:
-Amazon Rainforest (Brazil/Peru)
-Himalayas (Nepal/Tibet)
-Bolivian Altiplano
-Deep Sahara (Chad)
-Kamchatka Peninsula (Eastern Russia)
-South Pacific Ocean Trench
"These places must be discovered, protected, and activated.They are not just sanctuaries.They are the nervous system of the Earth."
Guardian Assignments
-Amazon: Thea and Mohammed
-Himalayas: Lee Ming and Hana
-Altiplano: Rob and Victoria (with Alan and María providing technical support)
-Sahara: Ali
-Kamchatka: Nikolav
-South Pacific: Alex (and an underwater reconnaissance squad)
Rob emphasized:"The enemy is already trying to get in… where it has no body.If they corrupt these points before we reach them… the planet will turn against itself.These places are bridges between us… and something else.And if we manage to activate them all…The Earth will give us its blessing."
Each Guardian departed in silence, knowing that their mission was not only to protect humanity…but to awaken the very world that sustains it.
As Rob descended through the Bolivian Altiplano alongside Victoria, he gazed upon the immensity of the mountain that had witnessed his birth as a Guardian.And he felt that, beneath his feet, something deep… had begun to beat.
The Corruption of Ice
Kamchatka – Advanced Base
Nikolav had seen many things in his life.Impossible creatures.Storms of blood.The face of death.But never this.
The Kamchatka Sanctuary was located deep within a crystal cave beneath an ancient volcanic caldera.Its walls shimmered with pale blue energy, and the air vibrated with absolute silence.
"This place… breathes," murmured his second-in-command.
But then, the temperature began to plummet."Colder? Here?" Nikolav frowned."This isn't natural.This is frozen hatred."
The Enemy Takes Shape
From the shadows emerged a creature that should not exist.It had no defined body.It was dark mist.It was the voice of all who had died with resentment.It was hatred made flesh.
"They were sacrificed.Ignored.Abandoned.And now you want to save the world… without paying your debt?"
The creature took the shape of dozens of human figures—screaming, walking, crawling.Among them… Nikolav saw familiar faces.
"Your brother…Your mentor…Did you forget them, Nikolav?They died because of you."
The Battle Against the Reflection
Nikolav activated his defensive ability—Absolute Resistance.But the creature didn't attack physically.It attacked from within.It tried to break his mind, his convictions, his pride.
"I'm not perfect!" Nikolav roared, falling to his knees."But I don't regret protecting the living!"
His energy was cloaked in glacial light.An explosion of pure ice covered the cave, sealing off the approaching fragments of darkness.
Unexpected Help
As the creature attempted to reform, a burst of light split the cave in two.Rob appeared through a dimensional leap.He had felt the collapse from the Altiplano.
"You didn't come alone," the creature murmured."You came with the heart of the world…"
The entity tried to flee, but the ground itself caught it.Ancient crystals rose and began to absorb it.The Earth… was defending its core.
Aftermath in Kamchatka
Nikolav was breathing heavily."How did you know this would happen?"
Rob helped him to his feet."I didn't know.I felt it."
He turned to the sanctuary's central crystal, now fully activated.
"This was only the first attempt.And if we don't reach the other points in time…There won't be a core left to save."
Return to the Altiplano
After the battle in Kamchatka, Rob returned to the Bolivian Altiplano.There, beneath the activated Sanctuary, a vortex of energy pulsed gently—like a heart buried under kilometers of stone.Victoria and Amélie were waiting for him on the surface, but Rob descended alone.
"This time… I need to go deeper," he said.He descended without using any abilities.He simply walked.Stepping on earth.Listening.
The Silence That Spoke
At the center of the sanctuary, he knelt and placed both hands on a stone covered in ancient symbols.And then… the world spoke to him.
"You have touched beyond your limit…Yet you still walk in flesh.""You who have fought in two lives…You who died before knowing everything…Listen to what you could not see."
Rob closed his eyes, and was enveloped by a vision.
The Vision of the Soul
The planet appeared before him—not as a sphere,but as an ancestral feminine figure made of roots, rivers, fire, and sky.Her eyes were volcanoes.Her voice, wind.Her blood, oceans.
"The energy of the world flows through every living being…But only those who surpass their prison of power can touch my soul.""There exists an energy not measured in strength or destruction.An energy born from the balance between body, soul, and purpose.""You… can reach it.""The Spiritual Energy."
The Revelation
Rob saw an image of himself—not as a warrior—but as a star wrapped in chains.
"To break the cycle…you must die again.Not in body.But in ego.""Only then will you open the door to the spirit."
Rob awoke slowly.His eyes glowed with a new light.Victoria welcomed him with a silent embrace.She had felt it too.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Rob looked up to the sky.The clouds were parting.And something else… was watching from beyond the atmosphere.
"We are no longer just us.The Earth… is fighting too."
And for the first time, he felt part of something greater than himself.
Secret Meeting in La Paz
Only the closest allies were present: Alex, Thea, Lee Ming, Nikolav, Hana, Ali, Mohammed, Alan, María, and Victoria.There was no protocol.No speeches.Only truth.
Rob, eyes fixed, spoke:
"The Earth is alive.And it is fighting with us."
Silence.
"What I felt in the Altiplano was an ancient consciousness…A force that wants to help us, but fears being corrupted."
María took notes without blinking.
"What does it need?" she asked.
"Time. Sacred spaces. And Guardians capable of more than just strength."
Spiritual Energy: The Hidden Threshold
Rob projected a symbol he had etched into his mind after the vision.No one in the room recognized it.But everyone felt it.
"There is an energy that only reveals itself when one surpasses the limits of body and power.An energy that does not devastate… but sustains.It is called Spiritual Energy."
Alex leaned forward.
"Is that above everything we know?"
"It's beyond.And it can only be reached by attaining the SSS level—but not through killing…Through understanding the purpose of power."
A Race Against Corruption
Alan projected the data from the activated sanctuaries.
"We're at 3 out of 6.But there's movement in the South Pacific. Something… is growing there."
Rob nodded.
"Then the enemy knows as well.And it's not trying to destroy the sanctuaries…It wants to turn them into wells of corruption."
Mohammed slammed the table.
"If they succeed…?"
"They'll give the enemy a direct channel to the soul of the planet," Rob said coldly.
The Decision
"From now on, no sanctuary must be activated without Guardians present.And every activation team must include someone capable of resisting mental influence.We're going to fight for the body of the world.But now also… for its spirit."
As the Council quietly dissolved, an imperceptible crack opened briefly in space.The faceless creature watched them from its dimension.It did not speak.It did not threaten.It simply smiled.And in its smile… the universe groaned.
[End of Chapter 40 – The Pulse of the Core]